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Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, Oklahoma. The population of the city is 15,753. The city is the capital of the two federally recognized Cherokee tribes based in Oklahoma, the modern Cherokee Nation and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. It is also home to Northeastern State University and a satellite campus of the Northeastern Oklahoma Battle Academy. Demographics As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is: 50.07% White (7,887) 32.81% Native American (5,168) 8.45% Hispanic or Latino (1,331) 8.30% Other (1,308) 0.37% Black or African American (59) 23.1% (3,638) of Tahlequah residents live below the poverty line. Theft rate statistics Tahlequah's theft and murder rates are high for Oklahoma standards. The city reported 31 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 3.68 murders a year. Pokemon See the Cherokee County page for more info. Fun facts * Many linguists believe the word 'Tahlequah' (Tah-le-quah) and the word 'Teh-li-co' are the same as 'di li gwa', the Cherokee word for grain or rice. (See Cherokee Nation Lexicon (dikaneisdi) at cherokee.org under culture/language). Scholars report the Cherokee word 'di li gwa' describes a type of native grain with a red hue that grew in the flat open areas of east Tennessee. One area, Great Tellico (Tellico Plains, Tennessee), was named for the grass with the red seed tops. Others interpret a word 'tel-i-quah' as 'plains'; however, there is no word for 'plains' in the Cherokee lexicon, and the word 'tel-i-quah' is not found in the lexicon. The idea that 'tahlequah' means 'plains' lends weight to the belief that the name refers to the wide open grassy areas of Great Tellico. ** Local legend states the name is derived from Cherokee words 'ta-li' and 'ye-li-quu' meaning 'just two' or 'two is enough'. Supposedly three tribal elders had planned to meet to determine the location of the Cherokee Nation's permanent capital. Two elders arrived and waited for the third. As dusk approached, they decided that 'two is enough', or 'ta-li-ye-li-quu' which later became anglicanized to Tahlequah. According to tribal elders and Cherokee County elders, this legend first began to circulate in the 1930s. Tahlequah was a settlement as early as 1832. After the Western Cherokee agreed in 1834 to let the newer migrants settle near them, they joined their government with the Eastern Cherokee at Tahlequah in 1839. Tahlequah was named long before it was chosen as the Cherokee capital. * Several markers of Cherokee and Native American heritage are found in town: street signs and business signs are noted in both the Cherokee language and English. Such signs use the syllabary created by Sequoyah, a Cherokee scholar of the 1820s who created the writing system. * Tahlequah has a good amount of amenities for the area it serves. It has dollar stores, a municipal airport, Chili's, Braum's, a contest hall and showcase theater, Walmart, Nintendo World, Lowe's, Solstice Apparel, some local restaurants and businesses, a bit of hotels/motels, some fast food, two sports complexes, some public battle fields, a few RV parks, Cherokee Springs Golf Club, Tahlequah City Golf Course, Thunderbowl, two Cherokee museums, Stage, Casey's, and a few other things. Category:Oklahoma Cities